The island state of Cyprus situated in the south-east of the Mediterranean has been of cultural significance since the dawn of classical history. The name is Mycenaean Greek in origin dating from the 15th century BCE although archeological evidence points to a far more ancient hunter gatherer society dating back to 10 000BCE. Greek mythology puts the island as the birthplace of Aphrodite and Adonis. The island of love and fertility. It has also been a strategic stop off to the Middle East and has seen its fair share of conflict through the ages. Now a divided country between Turkish North and Greek South Cyprus is peaceful but still has issues simmering. Tourism has long been a major money earner for Cyprus both North and South. The strange thing is though if you a gambler looking for some casino action the Turkish North is where the casinos are. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to an outsider gambling is forbidden in Turkey and legal in Greece.

Another In Trouble With The Court Of Justice European Union

Cypriot gambling laws are not compatible with the idea of free trade according to the CJEU. OPAP the Greek company still has a monopoly and is allowed to operate random number games when it is prohibited for anyone else. It is OK to bet online on sports but not horse racing or casino games according to the 2012 Betting Law. A new law in 2015 allows one full on casino with all the usual table games and smaller slots halls one in each district. As of yet the main resort casino is not open. Travel north and you will find casinos all over the place. The Cypriot authorities do enforce the law with many raids having taken place and players arrested and computers confiscated. Although these did take place in public places as opposed to individual homes. The whole issue is not clear at all and if it’s illegal to gamble online why does the OPAP get a walk. Now the brick and mortar casino has the go ahead does that mean it will be OK to gamble online? Nobody knows.

As we mentioned earlier, the betting Law of 2012 forbids pretty much all forms of online gambling. Gambling at online casinos in Cyprus is completely illegal and punishable by law. Yes, you can get arrested and fined. However, it is mostly operators that are being targeted now.

Doesn’t Stop The Cypriots

Greek Cypriots travel north to gamble in the brick and mortar venues and also stay at home and gamble on the multitude of online casinos available regardless of legislation. The legality notwithstanding the ease of access to offshore sites is such that millions of Euros are gambled online every year. The best online casino Cyprus can access has to have a Greek language platform. There are not so many that offer that unfortunately but English is widely spoken on the island so it widens the options. If you are new to the scene and would like to play casino games online then there are some things that need to be taken into account. To be sure you are playing with a reputable brand there are some things to check first. The most obvious is whether a current license is held. The EU has some excellent regulatory bodies within its borders. Malta, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man are the most common with the Channel Islands featuring heavily as well. The UK Gambling Commission is held to be the strongest of all, but only deals with UK residents. Many brands have more than one license so a combination of these is not uncommon. There are also the Caribbean licenses these are usually just business licenses and on their own mean nothing toward regulation. The best Cypriot online casino will probably be the best in the UK as well all of the top brands have UK facing platforms and as such fall under strict regulation.

Keep Your Money Safe

The first line of defense for your money when gambling online is making sure all pages of the site you visit are secure. The address bar padlock icon and the prefix https must be there. This signifies that SSL Encryption is in place. Independent online security firms are engaged by the big name brands to verify and test their protocols. A logo will be on the footer of the site of companies like Thwate and VeriSign. These are easily checkable online as are the legitimacy of licenses. The European Union has some of the safest online banking methods there are so your details should be safe. If you have any concerns then use one of the many third party electronic payment methods. It may sound obvious but keep your account details to yourself. If you are trying an online casino for the first time deposit a small amount first and get feel for how the money moves about. Withdrawal times vary a lot from one casino to another.

Keep In The Know

Cyprus Online Shopping

Player forums have had an important impact on the online casino industry. Unlike other genre these forums have teeth. There is a close connection between the playing public and online casinos through the forums. A bad casino is very quickly spotted and with the speed of the internet a few threads can very quickly spread. Forums have helped bring about the shutdown of more than one rogue operation. A wise person keeps an eye on the forums even the best slip up it is good to know when then do and how they recover.

The Rest Is Personal Choice

Merit Casino Cyprus

The longer an online casino has been in business the safer the option is. Quite often though the oldest brands can be a little well old. It will all come down to how games play and the way you are treated by a particular online casino. Ask a few revealing questions of the customer service team. How they answer might be the only difference between two choices. You will come up with a list of many to choose from the industry is still growing. Whoever you finally settle on good luck and enjoy.